Soon to purchase the book, as I’m entertained at the beta-rules alone, but one question comes up: How would you handle games that you’d like to run longer than just 3-12 sessions or so?
Obviously the notion to continue to use the characters as normal is there, but what about when your group all sticks to their characters and suddenly everyone is +3s across the board and could be considered ‘max level’ (a rough comparison, here)?
My only thought, currently, is to draw out advancement. Say every advancement has the +1 audience (as to avoid 0s) and maybe storyline options, along with the injury heal, but that the actual stat/move/etc options are only every 2 or 3, leading to much longer paths before gimmick changes.
Regardless I DO enjoy the rules and look forward to trying it out with friends.
By the time they’re at that level I think that the players should be looking at advances like “create a custom move”, “add a manager/valet/enforcer” and “add a second character” to fill out their character and the promotion.
I had a 10 episode first season. At the start of the second season I had everyone reset to their starting stats, but they were allowed to keep any moves they had acquired.
If people take the 12 or so advancements all on stats, they’re probably not going to be as involved or fun as someone who takes half of those advances for custom/extra moves, so there is that.
I think a full stat reset might be overkill because it will encourage people to never take stat advances, most PbtA games cap the ability to take a +stat to once per stat. Maybe work that in if you’re really worried about people just going for stat points.
Fair views. I had mis-read and didnt realize it was ‘first time you hit 0 OR +4’ so obviously even a spree of +4s (never having to worry about a 0) would mean those 12 advancements would be all 12 sessions.
As for the less involved/fun: even the best groups have one-stat monger, but also just the thought on extended games that may run longer than 3 months (if, say 1 game/show per week).
Yeah, but then the stat monger won’t be able to do much with those stats. Having good stats lets you wrestle a match and do promos when given the chance, but unless you’re willing to break kayfabe constantly, you’re at the mercy of the people with more moves generally speaking.
Also, Audience will reset occasionally back to the starting value every few sessions due to the audience size growing. Unless people are running on some major luck runs, they won’t be getting back up to +4 every session.
I’ve found once a player figures out how to get +4 audience with their character, they can do it every show. Add to it titles and feud endings and there are going to be a lot of advances.
There are no ‘high-level’ rules (yet). To maintain the integrity of the system, something needs to be done in multi-season games about stat accrual. A +1 max to each stat works, a seasonal reset works, some mechanic to lose stats (injury, natural 2 botch) may work, maybe others.
Regarding the seasonal reset I liken it to momentum. Momentum doesn’t carry over show to show, something is lost when the fans leave the building. It’s good for one night only. Stats improvements not carrying over season to season is that loss everyone experiences when they take time off.
Also I’m on record as saying I find +momentum options to be the least fun choices. So to the stat improvements. I get why they exist, and they can be fun for the individual, but they don’t really add much to the shared experience of the table. If you want them fine, but they’re temporary.